Hondrogel Official site
Share this

Thoracic osteochondrosis

Thoracic osteochondrosis is a disease in which the intervertebral discs in the thoracic spine are destroyed. Since this ward is the most sedentary, it is less susceptible to disease.

Thoracic osteochondrosis is characterized by spasms and pain in the chest, under the ribs, shortness of breath, stabbing, cutting, sharp pain behind the breastbone. Symptoms and manifestations of the disease can be similar to those of other diseases.

Symptoms

Spinal pain is the most common and superficial symptom. Of course, they do not always talk about the development of osteochondrosis in humans. Therefore, you should pay attention to other sensations in the body:

  1. Unpleasant sensations and chest pains. Often, if you are sedentary, you may not notice it. But as soon as you start doing any physical activity where breathing is accelerated, you will notice that the pain intensifies. The nature of this pain can be called shingles.
  2. In addition, you may experience pain in completely unexpected places - the region of the heart, abdomen, liver. This is because thoracic osteochondrosis tends to "disguise itself" as a particular disease. For example, many may confuse it with gastritis, ulcers, or angina pectoris.
  3. If you notice that from time to time in the chest area you have "goosebumps", then in combination with other manifestations, this may indicate thoracic osteochondrosis.
  4. In some cases, there may be a loss of sexual function, for example, impotence in men.

Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis

One of the main characteristics of this type of pain is shingles. But it is not always possible to recognize this pain from it. Here's how else it can feel and be characterized:

  • most often it occurs in the dark, behind the breastbone;
  • a sensation that can be described as a "stake in the chest";
  • unpleasant sensations in the hypochondrium region, both on the right and on the left;
  • feeling as if there is a foreign body behind the breastbone;
  • if the lesion touches only the upper part of the thoracic region, pain may be felt by a person in the region of the esophagus and pharynx.

Since these symptoms are still very vague and can speak of a number of other diseases, the doctor recommends that you undergo an additional ECG analysis.

Influence on organs

In the process of development, this disease can have a negative effect on the internal organs, namely the lungs and heart. Here's what thoracic osteochondrosis can entail:

  • effect on the heart. Primarily, it is caused by pinching the nerve roots in the chest area. After all, that's where the nerve cardiac plexuses go. It is these plexuses that are involved in the regulation of the heart. The main alarm bells here are regular heart palpitations (extrasystoles), arrhythmia, tachycardia. The effect on the cardiovascular system, therefore, can manifest itself both in one of these symptoms, and in all of them at the same time;
  • effect on the lungs. It most often manifests itself in shortness of breath and painful sensations at the same time.

Why does thoracic osteochondrosis appear?

Despite the fact that osteochondrosis as a whole is quite common, thoracic osteochondrosis is less common. The prerequisites for the onset of this disease are already found among schoolchildren who, making a face, sit at the desks. For this reason, children can develop scoliosis and, at a later age, osteochondrosis. Most of the other causes of development are closely related to scoliosis:

  • violation of posture;
  • metabolic disorders affecting the integrity of the intervertebral discs;
  • sedentary lifestyle;
  • hereditary reasons;
  • spinal injury;
  • static work and prolonged stay in an awkward and twisted position.
curvature of the spine as a cause of thoracic osteochondrosis

How to treat?

Having established an accurate diagnosis during tests, the doctor prescribes special drug treatment. In the case of thoracic osteochondrosis, it can include the following drugs, depending on the severity of the disease and the characteristics of its manifestation:

  1. First of all, drugs are prescribed that "remove" pain and relieve discomfort. They are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticoid drugs.
  2. To avoid a lack of fluid in the intervertebral disc, papain is used.
  3. Medicines called "chondroprotectors" are prescribed. With their help, there is a general strengthening of the cartilage tissue.
  4. Medicines can be added to the list to relieve spasms of the muscles around the spine.
  5. If the development of an inflammatory process is detected, special anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed.

But, of course, it is impossible to heal with medicine alone. Make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition. These actions will be useful not only for the treatment, but also for the prevention of this and many other diseases.

Exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis

Since the lack of physical activity is one of the fundamental causes of the development of the disease, the role of exercise in this case is great. Also, by supplementing the drug treatment with exercises, your body will return to normal and stabilize much faster.

There are a number of special exercises for the thoracic region. When performing them, follow the basic rules: no jerks, act slowly, smoothly, without trying to overload the body. An increase in amplitude is allowed, but only if no pain is felt. So what are the most effective exercises provided by physical therapy?

  1. Lie on the floor on your stomach. Hands - along the body. We bend in the thoracic region - softly, gently. Raise your arms and head as high as you feel, but try to avoid the pain. It is recommended to complete at least 5 approaches.
  2. For the next exercise, we need a chair with a small, sturdy backrest. Sit exactly in a chair. We exhale, leaning back on our back, as we pull our arms back. Then we return to the starting position. We repeat 10-12 times.
  3. We stand up straight. Hands on the seams, feet together. Let's take a deep breath and raise our hands. On the exhale, we slowly lean back and lower our arms. Let's go back to the starting position. It is recommended to perform 7-9 approaches at a time.
  4. Get on all fours on the floor. Slowly arch your back as you inhale, as you exhale - return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 7-10 times.
  5. We lie on the floor on our stomachs. Hands on the seams. Your task is to tear the body off the floor, stretching the head towards the heels. We pull the whole body, train the chest. The required number of approaches is 7-8.
  6. We work with the upper part of the thoracic region. Starting position: hands on the seams, feet shoulder-width apart. We work with our shoulders. We raise them first together, then each separately. We turn our shoulders forward - back, forward - back. We perform 10-15 approaches for each activity.
  7. Also, for the upper part of the thoracic region, you can make circular movements with your hands. Starting position, as in the previous activity. We stretch our arms to the sides, clench our palms into fists. We rotate the fists back and forth, then rotate the hand from the elbow back and forth, then with the whole hand back and forth. We perform each part of the exercise 4-6 times, generally we repeat the exercise 2-4 times.

Exercise in the morning and evening for at least 15-20 minutes. Dilute it with a series of exercises for other muscle groups by entering several of the above options.

Massage

Massage is also an excellent remedy in the fight against osteochondrosis. Here, a therapeutic massage takes place, which is prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient. You can also do it at home - here are several options for how to do it.

honey for the treatment of breast osteochondrosis

Honey massage. 2-3 tablespoons of honey are needed, preferably not candied, lukewarm. Dip the palms in honey so that they are covered with a thin layer. We apply to the area behind the sternum and sharply tear it off, repeat several times, moving the palms from place to place.

This massage shouldn't be done for too long as it is painful. Enough 10-15 minutes for one session. After that, the skin will turn red, "burn".

thoracic osteochondrosis massage

Classic massage. It consists of several steps, which include: stroking, kneading, vibrating, rubbing. It is recommended to perform the massage using an osteochondrosis cream or ointment - it can be recommended by your treating specialist.

The duration of this massage should not exceed 20 minutes, and the general course of treatment with this method should not include more than 11-13 sessions. As a preventive measure, kneading is therefore also recommended for the neck, arms, shoulders, buttocks and even legs.

Home treatments

In addition, there are alternative methods of treating thoracic osteochondrosis. For example, rubbing is very good, the basis of which can also be used when performing massage. Lilac flowers, horseradish root, garlic, onions, potatoes, ficus are usually taken as a basis. Honey, vegetable oil, and sometimes cologne or alcohol are added. Everything is thoroughly mixed into a homogeneous mass and the damaged area is rubbed. For example, according to the following recipe, you can prepare rubbing from ficus leaves:

  • Ficus leaves in the amount of 6-8 are passed through a grater or cut into small pieces. Put in a container, where it is poured with 2 bottles of triple cologne. Mix. Grind should be in a dark place for 2 weeks. So you need to use it at least 2 times a day until heat appears on the skin.
sedentary work as a cause of breast osteochondrosis

Working on the computer is one of the most important causes of osteochondrosis. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, it is recommended that you do exercises at least every two hours.

Computer work and osteochondrosis

Performing computer tasks every day without physical activity can lead to poor posture. This happens because the person performs static work for a long period, not allowing the muscles and the spine to rest and not making any warm-up or respite. In the future, without correcting this problem, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region may develop.

To prevent this from happening, experts recommend performing the so-called office charging, designed specifically for those who work most of the time at the computer.

For example, the following exercises are very good:

  1. Bend your back, raising your arms, throwing your head back. Feel a pleasant weight on your back. Perform after every hour of computer work at least 3-4 times.
  2. Make circular rotations with your head. Look left and right, tilt your head back and forth.
  3. Raise your arms up - to the sides - forward - to the sides. Repeat several times.
  4. Get close to your work area if you can and move from foot to foot.

Don't forget to change positions while working on the computer, so you will maintain your health, spine and posture for a long time!

Strengthening the back muscles with osteochondrosis

Strengthening the back muscles is a very important part in the treatment and prevention of osteochondrosis. To do this, it is enough to do physical activity: exercise, go to fitness classes or to the gym. Choose the option that works best for you. For example, swimming strengthens muscles well, so you can not only have fun, but also improve your body.